A man has
tragically died after attempting to take a selfie with a bear, according to
reports.
Prabhu
Bhatara, a taxi driver from Papadahandi in the Nabarangpur district of Odisha,
India was mauled to death after approaching the animal, reports The
Independent.
He stopped
his SUV to go to the toilet, before then spotting the animal. While his passengers
told him not to approach it, he then went too close while trying to take a
picture and was attacked.
“A stray dog
tried to fight with the bear but was unable to save the man,” according to the
Metro. “Forest officials eventually tranquilized the bear so that they could
get to his body.”
Locals had
said the bear was getting a drink from a pond when the taxi driver approached.
“Bhatara died on the spot,” Forest ranger Dhanurjaya Mohapatra said. "The
bear is being treated for its injuries.”
There is a
video of the incident is below. Warning, some may find the footage distressing.
Approaching
animals in this way is always, always a bad idea. Bears are extremely
unpredictable and, if threatened, can be prone to attacking.
"While
[seeing a bear] is an exciting moment, it is important to remember that bears
in national parks are wild and can be dangerous," the National Park
Service in the US notes. "Their behavior is sometimes unpredictable.
Although rare, attacks on humans have occurred, inflicting serious injuries and
death."
Despite
maybe looking approachable, they are still wild animals. In India, it's
estimated that one person dies every day from an attack by a wild animal. So be
careful, and don't do anything that might antagonize them. Getting a selfie
isn't worth putting yourself or the animal in danger.
Why did no one get in their car and honk their horn and drive towards the bear?
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